Coastal Carpet setup recommendations

Aussie Pythons & Snakes Forum

Help Support Aussie Pythons & Snakes Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Status
Not open for further replies.

Tomahawk7

Not so new Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2019
Messages
15
Reaction score
3
Location
Florence Colorado
Hi, I recently purchased a Coastal that I fell in love with. I’ve never kept a snake because Army life. But worked reptile removal in Louisiana while in high school and have been herping my whole life across North and South America, the Middle East and North Africa. So this fella acts like he is terrified of the hide I bought him. He will nose in about an inch, then shoots straight back like he seen a ghost. Also do any of you have a thermostat that you would recommend? I need it to have day and night setting that is reliable because I work in law enforcement and my job keeps me away from home for 18 hours or so about 3-4 nights a week. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
[doublepost=1561787544,1561786968][/doublepost]23367DA0-629D-4737-8D37-57FA4AE92B3F.jpeg This is his current setup.
 
What temperature are you providing (the actual surface temperature measured with an IR gun or at least digital thermometer)? I take it the hide is over a heat source? Be very careful with that if you don't currently have a thermostat controlling it.

Typically though, you want to have a hide on a "cool" side and one on a "hot" side with a heat source. More hides are typically better for their stress.
In regards to the heat source itself, I would recommend a Heat Cord under a tile - Though you could use a globe I suppose.

For the thermostat, if you use a mat or cord then a simple on/off or pulse thermostat is fine. If you end up with a globe, use a dimmer. I have been using Habistat thermostats but others probably know easier to obtain and cheaper brands perhaps.

Also please pardon my lack of husbandry knowledge regarding coastals (WA here, so the only carpet I have is a SWCP) but does the humidity need to be high? I notice a lot of moisture on the inside of the glass there, looks like the enclosure has been misted?

Edit: In regards to your day & night needs, if you are happy with having the heat off during the night then you can always plug your thermostat into a timer. Just have the whole thing turn off for 8 hours or so at night.
 
What temperature are you providing (the actual surface temperature measured with an IR gun or at least digital thermometer)?

Also please pardon my lack of husbandry knowledge regarding coastals (WA here, so the only carpet I have is a SWCP) but does the humidity need to be high? I notice a lot of moisture on the inside of the glass there, looks like the enclosure has been misted?

Hey, thanks for the reply. So I’ve moved the digital thermometer/hygrometer ($20 cheep stick on) sensors around a few times. 83 was what I was getting in the hide but I keep seeing people say that the sensor should be close to where the snake spends most of its time, so it’s hanging off the wall level with where he hangs out on his stick. I’ve also read that humidity should be around 40% and 60% during shed. I live between the Sangre de Christo Mts to the SW, Pikes Range to the NE, the Sawatch to the NW and the Pueblo High Desert 8 miles east. Humidity here rarely goes above 18-20% in the summer. So I mist the glass to get the humidity up to 31%. I have no idea how the hell im going to get it to 60% during shed.
 
Fair enough regarding the humidity then, that's something you might need to keep an eye on.

Regarding probe placement, you pretty much want them on the hot spots - You need to know if something is getting too hot. Although, in all fairness the thermometer is essentially "information-only" and won't technically impact husbandry (although wrong placement will hide problems). For the thermostat though, you will generally want that where the hottest possible point is that the snake may contact (if using ground heating anyway).

For example, if you were to use a heat mat under your tank then you will want the thermostat probe to be in the hide that is over the top of the heat mat. Similar if you were using a Heat Cord/Tile setup. You get into a bit of a grey area with globes though. Depending on the thermostat's temperature ranges you may need to put the probe on the basking surface and then do a touch test on the light cage (let it run for a good while, then make sure you can hold your hand on it for at least a minute without burning yourself or getting too hot) - A low wattage globe is useful for this.

If you want to check into this Heat Cord/Tile I keep mentioning then my response from last year to someone is probably worth looking at: https://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/threads/temperature-troubles.222844/page-3#post-2518165

Some further re-iteration regarding placement in that same thread: https://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/threads/temperature-troubles.222844/page-3#post-2518165

I was less experienced then of course, but the general idea is the same. The only real difference is that I feel belly heat is probably the most appropriate form of heating for a lot of Morelia now. Back then I didn't have a carpet, and had assumed they needed heat higher up in the enclosure. Also, my Stimmie tank has more vertical space utilized in it now than it does in that picture.
 
Mate I've kept and bred Coastals on and off for many, many years and I can tell you that they don't really like ground heating and prefer to bask and then, once they have reached their preferred body temperature retreat to a secure, cool hide where they can just chill out. If you've got floor heating under the hide then you'll probably find that it might be too hot and causing the snake to spend most of its time up high to get away from the heat and sit up there where it feels comfortable perched and secure above the ground.

Personally I'd get rid of the ground heating and use a 60 watt globe (covered) with a reflector placed at the top left of the cage about a foot above the branch so it can bask on the branch and then retreat to the hide once it's warm enough. You'll get a better result if you can fit the globe either inside the cage or on the top of the lid where the heat is not impeded by wire mesh. Place the probe next to the basking spot and set it for around 90deg F.

I don't know why people say they need between 40 and 60 % humidity to help them shed. 30% is quite adequate and you shouldn't have any problems as long as the snake is provided with fresh drinking water so it remains well hydrated.

Cheers,

George.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Back
Top